


Interlude 3: Back at the Ranch

by Mice



Series: Moments Sacred and Profane [26]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Angst, M/M, Polyamory, geeky glee
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-26
Updated: 2014-06-26
Packaged: 2018-02-06 06:27:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1847830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mice/pseuds/Mice
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While the command staff is on Earth, somebody has to be minding the fort. Radek and Geoff have some issues to resolve.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Interlude 3: Back at the Ranch

**Author's Note:**

> Beautiful nitpicky beta by Zortified. Further word-wrangling from Pas, Heuradys, Lucia Tanaka, and Kaytee4Ever. Thanks to AmIReal for the whacked b-plot idea.

_Where am I from, I sometimes ask myself, where_  
 _in the devil_  
 _do I come from, what day's today, what's_  
 _happening..._  
~~Pablo Neruda from _Canto General: The Magellanic Heart_ ~~

Radek sat at the table in the briefing room, rubbing his neck. It had been less than a day since the command staff had stepped through the Gate to Earth, and already things felt strange. Teyla was nominally in charge of the expedition at the moment, and Radek was filling Rodney's shoes. Major Lorne and Lieutenant Miller were there as well, along with Dr. Chandrapurna, and Sgt. Campbell, who had taken over most of the Gate tech duties that Peter used to hold.

Major Lorne was Major Sheppard's new second in command. He had arrived with the Daedalus and seemed to be quite competent, but Radek was relieved that Lt. Miller was sitting in on the meetings as well. Miller had been with them from the beginning, and would, most likely, be able to curb any of the new Major's excesses.

Coffee had been poured, but they were all still engaged in pre-briefing chatter. "I do not understand why there must be so many reports," Teyla said to him quietly. "Your people seem inordinately fond of them."

"Yes," Radek said. "I do not envy you having to take Dr. Weir's job." He took another sip from his mug. "However, we really must get started. There is much to do, and I believe the military contingent is getting restless."

Teyla nodded. "Very well. I believe you are right." She looked around the room. "May I have everyone's attention please?" The side conversations fell silent, and she began. "Thank you. I know that we are in unique circumstances until Dr. Weir and the rest of the command staff return, so I will very much appreciate everyone's cooperation and assistance as we deal with the everyday operations of the City of the Ancestors."

People sipped at coffee and nodded. Radek appreciated Teyla's honesty in their situation. It would be difficult for all of them, filling the roles that others were usually responsible for. True, he was Rodney's second and had been to enough of these meetings when Rodney was offworld, but with this new group of people sitting around Dr. Weir's conference table, he wondered how they would coalesce as a ruling council.

Major Lorne spoke first, as Radek half-expected. "Ms. Emmagan, I'm not sure I understand why Dr. Weir left you in charge. While I understand that Atlantis is a civilian project, you aren't even from Earth. I'm not certain whether the military here will follow your lead." Miller and the others bristled slightly but said nothing, waiting for Teyla's response. 

Teyla nodded. "Yes, I did anticipate your question. Dr. Weir and I spoke at length about this. Her feeling was that my long experience with your people, my work on Major Sheppard's offworld team, and my work with your people in these meetings every day served to make those of us who have been here for the last year comfortable with me. If anyone has any discomfort with my command, I hope that they will bring it to me. If you are expressing your own discomfort, I can only refer you to the military personnel under your command who have been here from the beginning." Miller nodded.

"In addition," Teyla said, "I believe that my loyalty has been proved on many occasions, despite the potential risk that it was initially felt I may pose to the expedition. My... unique ability to contact the Wraith has, in fact, served us well, as is demonstrated by the fact that we are still alive and sitting here."

Lorne sat back in his chair, watching Teyla closely. He tilted his head. "I'm willing to work with you, Ma'am. I just need to be certain for myself and for those of us who have recently arrived from Earth."

"Dr. Weir would not have left Teyla in charge if she did not have absolute faith in her abilities," Radek said. "And she has left me as Teyla's second, so that those who might be concerned about the leadership of an alien might have someone to turn to. Unless you have some objection to my leadership?"

Lorne shook his head. "No, Doc. From everything I've heard, you have a pretty good head on your shoulders. No offworld experience to speak of, but Dr. Weir didn't have much either."

"Yes," Radek said, "this is so. But with Dr. McKay gone, I am the one who knows most about the physical operations of Atlantis. I do not anticipate having to go offworld while the command crew is gone."

Miller grinned at him. "We'll do our best to make sure that doesn't happen, Sir," he said.

" _Děkuji_ ," Radek muttered, relieved.

Teyla smiled. "Let us begin with Dr. Chandrapurna's report."

*** 

Rob Stackhouse had his assignment for the day. City exploration was the priority at the moment, now that their supplies were replenished. A lot of new systems had been powered up with the ZPM as well. He was just as glad, because he didn't think he was fit to be going offworld for a while.

Everything inside him was just numb. The week since the end of the siege had been hell for him. Outside of the remaining members of the Thursday Night Crew, there were very few people who understood the magnitude of his loss. He couldn't be caught mourning publicly as much as he needed to, and he didn't want to burden his friends. Everyone had been touched by loss over the last year.

Some of those losses, he knew, were more devastating than others to different individuals. It didn't make his own pain any less. Nor did it help when he had to be around the other military in the city. He was glad he'd been paired up with Siwicki again. She knew him and what he'd been through, and she wouldn't find his actions inexplicable if he were to shut down emotionally from time to time as they worked.

They'd been assigned to Tower 57 with about a dozen other military and scientists. There were power uses going on that the engineers weren't certain about, and no sign that any of it was as dangerous as the isolation virus labs that had been breached after the big storm.

When the posse got to Tower 57, he and Siwicki were sent to the top to work their way down. Others were assigned to different floors to work in different directions, with two teams being assigned to the lowest floors due to the larger area to be covered.

The transporters flashed them up to a corridor, and Siwicki started making notes on her tablet. "Looks like every other corridor in the city," she said, boredom in her voice.

Rob nodded. "Yeah. Probably more living quarters or something."

"I guess we'll find out." She shrugged and they headed out. About halfway through their exploration of the top floor, they found an unusual door with more elaborate stained glass than the others. The tones were in blues and greens, lit from behind, rather than the common earth tones of the glass in the rest of the city they'd seen.

"This looks different," Rob said. "Maybe I should call Dr. Kusanagi."

"Nah," Erin said. "There's definitely a power signature here, but I'm not reading anything that seems even a little bit hazardous."

"It's your ass in a sling if you're wrong," Rob grumbled.

She opened the door and they both stood for a moment stunned in the brilliant light. "Whoa," Siwicki muttered.

Rob blinked in the sunlight. What lay on the other side of the door was less a room than a massive, natural-appearing open space capped by a huge, arcing crystal dome. The sound of falling water was everywhere. "What the hell's this?" he asked.

"Dunno yet, but I sure want to find out," Erin said. She smiled. "Solarium? Greenhouse? Indoor park?"

He stepped in first and she followed him, both of them looking around. It looked as though someone had imported a park. There were stone grottoes and flagstone paths all around them. The only thing missing was the moss and ferns. About five minutes into the exploration, Erin tapped her headset. "Sergeant Reed, this is Siwicki. Stacks and I have found a really fascinating area. Nothing dangerous here, but it's going to be a while exploring. We'll let you know when we have something more concrete."

"Roger," Reed's voice replied. "Check in as soon as you can."

"Definitely."

They explored for about twenty minutes, walking the paths. In the center of the area was a huge open space covered with earth. "Wonder if this used to be a garden?" Rob asked.

"Maybe," Erin agreed. "But seriously -- pools everywhere, and waterfalls over there along that rock face." Some of the pools had steam rising from them while others were large and deep enough to be public swimming pools. In one area, the stone walls were interspersed with doors and cubicles. As they explored, Erin got more and more excited. "You know what this is?" she said. "It's a spa. The pools are different temperatures. Some of these rooms are steam rooms while others are saunas. They're at different temperatures for heating up or cooling down." She gestured back toward the area with the cubicles. "What do you bet those are showers?"

Rob followed her back to them, and sure enough, that was what they were. There were stone benches and little cubbyholes large enough for clothing and towels. "Damn, I think you're right," he said. "We need to tell everybody about this."

Erin gave him an evil grin. "Yeah, but before we do, I'm gonna have a soak. Do you have any idea how long it's been since I was in a hot tub?"

"What?" Rob watched, astonished, as she stripped down and plopped into a pool.

"Oh, man, this is awesome!" she said. "This is really going help the aches in my leg." She smiled blissfully and waved a hand at him. "Come on in. Give yourself a few minutes to relax. It's not like you don't need it."

"But... but you're naked."

She snorted. "Like you care? What, you've never seen a naked woman before?" 

Rob stood and stared for a moment as Erin closed her eyes and leaned back, reveling in the hot water. "Aw, fuck it." He stripped off and slipped in with her. The pool was big enough for twenty people, so it wasn't like they were crowded together, though he did suffer a little embarrassment at the whole idea.

It was a few moments before Rob spoke again. "Umm... how are we gonna dry off?" he asked.

She shrugged. "We can drip dry for all I care. Maybe they have Ancient blow-driers around somewhere. Who knows, there might be towels in one of the lockers."

"Hmm. I suppose there's that."

She rinsed her fogged up glasses in the water. "Either that or we just get dressed while we're wet. Which would be kinda gross, but if worse comes to worst."

Rob eased himself further down into the water. "It doesn't bother you to be naked with a guy?"

Erin snorted. "No; certainly not with you. Now, if it was Kavanagh or Tryggveson? Yeah, then I'd be less inclined. I'd sooner spork Tryggveson's eyes out than let him see me naked." She sighed and stretched. Rob could hear a pop in her upper back. "Oh, yeah, that helped." Erin made a quiet, purring sound. "Bubbles?" she asked. "I'm betting one of these little lights over here probably turns some on."

"Sounds good," Rob said. He was starting to relax a little, and that surprised him.

She waved her hand over the lights and different jets began to come on. With a yelp and a giggle, she moved. "Oh, that was in just the wrong place."

"Maybe it was in the right one," Rob suggested, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, don't you go getting any ideas," she snorted. Once she was comfortable again, her face sobered. "How are you doing?" she asked. "It can't be easy, not being able to talk to the other guys you're working with."

"It's not," he admitted. "I don't know who to trust."

"With all the new guys, I'm not surprised." She held out a hand. "Want a foot rub?"

"You're kidding, right?"

"No. You could probably use it." Her hand was still out.

With a sigh, Rob offered her a foot. "You sure about this?" She didn't answer, but set to giving him what was really a pretty decent foot massage. "I'm kinda worried about Lorne," he said. "He's a lot better than Everett so far but, I mean, I have no idea what he's gonna be like when it comes to this."

Erin nodded. "I could see that being an issue." She looked up from his foot, hands still moving. "I'm sorry about Jacks."

Rob looked away. "I know. Hurts like hell." He couldn't help the crack in his voice. It was still all too fresh, and she was one of the few people who really knew what they had been to each other. "At least you civilians don't have to hide it."

Erin nodded. "Yeah, but I'm seeing Tanya. Not like she can be out. But you know if you need to talk, you can," she said. He hissed when her thumb dug into a knot in the arch of his foot. He took a deep breath and let himself flow past the pain before he replied.

"I don't know if I can," Rob said. He gave a soft groan as her thumb moved over the sore spot again. "I just... things are different now; too many new people. I'm afraid for anyone to find out."

Erin nodded. "Yeah, pretty much all the newbies are military. I can see how that would be a problem. No idea who would react how."

"Dr. Weir talked to me once, just after the memorial. Asked if I wanted to go back to Earth. I said no. I've been thinking about talking to Heightmeyer, but I don't want it in my record." 

She put his foot down and started on the other. "Hmm," she muttered noncommittally.

"I know you don't like her," Rob said, "but she's okay. Really."

"I don't do shrinks, but I know they help a lot of people," she said, not looking at him.

"I heard you two had a fight over that music box thing a while back."

She raised her eyes, hands still moving on his foot. "More than a music box, but yeah."

"Any idea what happened to it?"

She shook her head. "No. I'm out of the loop on it. Not like anybody's had time to experiment with it anyway."

He nodded. "Right." Rob took a deep breath and let it out slowly. His feet were aching a little less, and though he still felt numb inside, it was helping a bit with his stress level. So was the hot water. "This was a really good idea," he said, just over the sound of the bubbles and falling water.

"Figured it would be when I saw the place," she said, "but I think we should be going. We'll need to be checking in soon anyway."

"Yeah."

She patted the sole of his foot. "Go see Heightmeyer. All she really has to record is that you saw her and that you're dealing with trauma and grief. You know Weir's not gonna let anybody give any of us shit after what's happened here in the last year."

"Yeah, I know, but Weir's not here right now."

Erin snorted. "And what, Teyla's going to give you shit over it and tell Lorne? I don't think so."

He shrugged. "There's that, I guess. It's just instinct to cover your ass."

"I know. It'll be okay. Honest."

He let himself crack a tiny smile. "Yeah, probably. I'm just paranoid."

"Around here? Who's not?" She lifted herself out of the pool and brushed at the water streaming from her skin. "Let's see if we can locate some towels. I'm not sure I want to be in the way when folks find out about this and the rush hits." She grinned. "It'll be chaos, just you wait and see."

"Yeah," Rob said. "And they'll probably make us wear swimsuits, the bastards."

*** 

"Swimsuits?" Radek said, startled.

Teyla raised an eyebrow. "What is a swimsuit?" She sounded genuinely puzzled. Radek couldn't blame her.

"It is clothing for swimming in. Some people do not care to allow their bodies to be seen, nor do they wish to see the bodies of others," Dr. Chandrapurna told her. 

She turned a confused face to Dr. Heightmeyer. "A nudity taboo for swimming?"

Dr. Heightmeyer nodded. "Unless you want to institute women-only and men-only hours," she said. "That might be wise whether people choose to wear swimsuits or not, to be honest. Given the homophobic incidents of early last year, public safety may be at issue in some cases." She glanced at Radek, who nodded.

"Granted, that did occur, but we are all adults here," Radek said, "and the offenders have been removed and sent back to Earth. Why should we not just make it a matter of personal choice?"

"Considering that there could be people on the expedition who are survivors of rape or child abuse or who may have other objections to public nudity," Heightmeyer said, "we have to take into account the potential for discomfort. With the increased population, we can't be certain everyone will behave like adults."

"How about this," Lorne said. "We declare some hours clothing-optional, and some sections of the area can be set aside for just the women or just the men."

They all leaned on the table, chins in hand. "I suppose this would suffice, yes," Radek said. "The compromise would no doubt suit most people best."

"Your people are very strange," Teyla muttered. She looked like she was developing a headache. Radek couldn't blame her. It had only been one day, and he already had immensely more respect for Dr. Weir's work in running the city.

"Shall we make a general announcement?" Radek asked.

Chuck Campbell, the Gate tech, shook his head. "No way. You know what kind of a stampede that would create? Send everybody emails. Seriously."

Lieutenant Miller grinned. "I think we should do a fact-finding mission before we make the announcement," he said. "You know, test the waters, so to speak?"

The grins that appeared around the table were encouraging. "Yes," Radek said. "I suggest we adjourn this meeting to the spa. We must, of course, be certain that the conditions are safe for the expedition members."

"I agree," Teyla said. She smiled.

*** 

Geoff Osbourne sat quietly on the bed, staring out the window into the darkness, watching as the smaller of Atlantis's two moons rose over the towers before him. His dirt-streaked reflection stared back at him. The day had been a busy one. Even though all the fires had been extinguished after the Wraith siege of the city, there was a lot of cleanup still to be done. Anyone not directly involved in working with Ancient technology or the offworld teams was doing cleanup or city exploration. He'd been on one of the cleanup details.

His entire body ached, muscles pulled and bruised by the work. Radek wasn't home yet, and Geoff wasn't sure when he would be. Since he and Teyla had been given Dr. Weir's duties as well as Radek taking over for Rodney McKay while the CSO was on Earth, Geoff wasn't certain what his hours would be like.

Weary hands rubbed gravelly eyes and he sighed. The place felt empty when Radek wasn't there, even more so now that Peter was gone. The silence of it echoed inside him like a cavern. Atlantis didn't even have the hum of electricity in the walls, like they did back on Earth, to mitigate the intensity of her silences.

He opened the drawer in the bedside table and pulled out the photo. It had been taken one Thursday shortly after Peter had become their lover: Peter and Radek and Geoff curled up together on the couch, unaware of the camera. Peter was laughing, snuggled up against Radek's side, Geoff's legs in their laps. The empty ache in him blossomed into a chest full of misery. 

"Peter," he whispered softly. His thumb traced along the curve of Peter's arm. He took a deep breath and put the photo back into the drawer, closing it firmly. It still hurt too much to face. And Rodney had left him there, left Peter in that satellite with the Wraith coming and no defense.

A shaft of light accompanied the quiet shoosh of the bedroom door opening. " _Miláčku_?"

Geoff turned. "Hey, Radek," he said softly.

Radek's eyes took him in, assessing him. "You did not get the general email?"

Geoff blinked, puzzled. "Email?"

Radek smiled. "One of the city survey teams found a spa," he said. "And it is not just a few saunas and some hot pools. Is very beautiful. Command staff was just up there." He went to Geoff, taking his wrist and tugging. "Come. You look like you need this. Bring a towel. Not so many people know about it just yet, and it's late. Probably very few people there, if anyone."

"I'm tired," Geoff said simply.

Radek's eyes narrowed, concern growing on his face. He sat on the bed next to Geoff. "I'm sorry. I just thought perhaps it would help you feel better. Would you prefer if I shower with you, wash your back? Perhaps you would like your shoulders rubbed? Yes?"

Geoff felt something in himself collapse. "Yes." He closed his eyes, resting his face in the palms of his hands. "That would be really nice."

Radek leaned into him, his body warm as his arm slipped around Geoff's shoulders. The backs of his fingers brushed Geoff's cheek. "Please, _miláčku_ , talk to me. You have not been yourself for a long time now. I worry for you."

"There's nothing anyone can do," Geoff told him. He looked up into Radek's eyes. "I just feel lost. There's a hole in me where Peter used to be."

"I know." Radek's voice was soft and quiet, pain reflected in the blue of his eyes. "For me as well, though I know not so much as for you."

Geoff lifted a hand, cupping Radek's cheek. " _Miluji tě_." He took a deep, shaking breath. "Never believe for an instant that what I felt for Peter changes how I feel for you."

"Geoff--" Radek looked stricken. "Geoff, why would I ever think you would feel less for me because you loved Peter?"

A long silence stretched between them as Geoff tried to put it in words. His thumb caressed Radek's cheekbone and his eyes stung as he tried to keep tears from falling. "Because," he eventually said, "because of how it happened; because of what I said. Be-because of how you feel about Rodney."

"And that does not change how I feel about you either," Radek whispered.

"I don't know what to do anymore," Geoff said. "Seeing how you and Carson were while you were in detox, I just--" His breath hitched. "I don't know what to do."

"I think you must try to sort how you feel. And I honestly do believe you must speak with Rodney when he and Carson return. Until you resolve this with him, you are not going to feel any peace. Also, I don't think you will be able to let Peter rest. Not in your heart." Radek nuzzled his cheek and kissed it. "Come, then. Let's get you shower. Your face is all dirty. You must be sore from the long day."

Radek stood and tugged at Geoff's hand. "Right," Geoff said quietly. "Getting up." Radek led him into the bathroom, helping him tug clothes off as they walked. His lover shed his own clothing as well, his long hair mussed and wild. It brought a tiny smile to Geoff's face, seeing Radek like that. He reached up and combed his fingers through the feral mess.

Geoff turned the water on and let it get warm and they both stepped into the shower. He let the flow pound down on his head and shoulders as Radek soaped up his back, taking the opportunity to massage sore muscles with his strong, precise hands. With a sigh, Geoff let himself lean against the shower wall, bracing himself with both hands and letting his head hang down.

They were silent for a long time, with only the sound of falling water and Geoff's quiet moans to accompany the reverie. He was angry about Peter's death, about Rodney coming way from it unscathed. Not that he actively wished any harm on the man. He was, or at least had been, a friend. Geoff wasn't sure how he felt now.

Rodney had been in isolation with Radek and Carson while they'd been in detox. To Geoff, it had felt like an intrusion, but he'd needed to be with them. His own feelings for Carson were similar to Radek's for Rodney, and the four of them, for good or ill, had become closely intertwined in one another's lives. He'd heard the guilt in Rodney's voice when he talked about Peter in the more lucid moments of his ordeal. Unfortunately, Rodney's guilt did nothing to ease the pain or the anger Geoff felt.

He could feel it in his shoulders and down into his back as Radek's hands moved on him. "Easy," he asked as Radek pressed into a knot with a little too much pressure.

"Sorry," Radek said. His hands moved gently down to Geoff's waist and he slipped his arms around Geoff. Radek's body was warm and comfortable nestled against his back.

"It's okay." He turned in Radek's arms and embraced him, foreheads touching. Water ran down Radek's face, his eyes intensely blue without his glasses covering them. "I don't think I can talk to Rodney."

Radek shook his head. "You know it was not his fault. I know you know this, but I think you are still so angry you refuse to understand."

"It was just so meaningless," Geoff said, his chest tight. He closed his eyes.

"No," Radek said. "Not meaningless. Peter destroyed one of the Hiveships. Without that, the Daedalus would have been too little, too late. Peter died for all of us, Geoff, just as you or I would have -- just as Rodney would have -- if we had been there instead. Do not take that from him."

Radek's words shook him. "You'renotdeadyou'renotdead," he whispered, holding Radek as tight as he could.

"I'm still here, _miláčku_." Radek's voice was soft and his hands moved gently, caressing Geoff's back under the falling water. "I'm still alive. I still love you." There were nuzzles and soft kisses accompanied by the scratch of a day's growth of whiskers. That was steadying in a way Geoff hadn't really appreciated before. Radek's voice was a lifeline in the swirl of numbness and rage Geoff was living in.

"Don't die," Geoff said, unable to stop himself. He knew it was a stupid, unreasonable demand. There was nothing anyone could do when the time came. Yet he held onto Radek, shaking, tears running down his face to disappear in the heat of the shower. "Please, don't die."

Radek's lips moved over his face, kissing away the tears. "Trust me, Geoff, I have no plans for dying anytime in the next fifty or sixty years, at least."

"Neither did Peter."

He could feel Radek flinch. "You know that is not fair." Radek's voice caught. "You know that none of us plans to die, it just happens. Here, especially. It just happens."

Geoff's mind flashed to the day the nanovirus kept Atlantis in lockdown, when he'd sat in the Geology lab with his friends, wondering if Radek and Rodney were still alive. He sobbed silently into Radek's shoulder.

"Listen to me, my love," Radek said, his voice intense in Geoff's ear. "I am not going to leave you. I am not on an offworld team, so my chances of staying alive are better than they might be. Regardless of my feelings for Rodney, you are the one I live with; you are the one I love and this will always be true. I will always come home to you."

Unable to speak, Geoff just nodded into Radek's shoulder. He took a few shuddering breaths, trying to control the weeping, but it was like a tsunami inside him. Nothing could keep it back. The entire time he'd been away at the Alpha site, he'd been unable to do anything but hold himself together, working frantically to set up and worrying about Radek back in Atlantis. The last week had been inundated with damage control and repairs and then sitting, helpless, while his lover and two of his best friends -- was Rodney even still his friend? -- recovered from too many stimulants in too little time.

"You will survive this," Radek whispered. "You will hurt, and I will hurt, and Rodney and Carson will hurt, but we will all survive this, and we will do it together."

"I... I don't know if I can forgive him," Geoff choked.

Radek's arms closed about him more tightly. "You're a good man, Geoff. There is time before they return. By then, I think your feelings will be more settled. You will be more clear, and more ready to see why you feel this way."

"I just want to go to bed." Geoff's exhaustion was weighing him down, and his misery only added to how desolate he felt.

"Yes, yes, but we must first get you clean. So much ash and dirt on you." He felt Radek move back and then the touch of a warm, wet, soapy cloth on his face. He stood still, just letting Radek take care of him. He'd done this often enough for Radek after the assault, when he was still barely able to care for himself. Radek's touch steadied him, and the pressure inside him eased.

There was something so real and solid about the washing. It was almost like being pressed back into his body after he'd been away, lost in a place that left him dizzy and disoriented. "Love you," Geoff said, looking at Radek after he'd rinsed his face. Radek smiled back at him.

"I know." Radek kissed him softly, hands still moving gently on his body.

*** 

It was still raining. It had been raining for the past three hours.

"Major Lorne!"

Evan turned his head at the excitement in the botanist's voice. He tapped his radio. "Reed, Kaufman, stay alert. What is it, Doc?" He got acknowledgements from his people, and Dr. Parrish waved him over.

"Oh, you just have to see this. It's a magnificent specimen!"

Berry picking. A Major in the United States Marine Corps, and he'd been assigned with his team to berry picking on some godforsaken hole of a planet. He'd come to Atlantis to fight Wraith, not get berry juice on his BDU's.

"Is it going to attack you?" he asked, grumbling.

Parrish chuckled. "Oh, no. It's just a fascinating example of a new species. I think this one may actually be unique to the Pegasus galaxy. You know the Ancients didn't seed every--"

"Right, Doc, right. That's okay. I don't need the whole lecture, trust me." He rolled his eyes and sauntered over to where the botanist was standing. Geeks. Why did it have to be geeks?

Parrish kept barreling right along, explaining god only knew what as they walked. He took notes as Evan kept an eye out for Wraith or other potential dangers. Unfortunately, with his eyes up, he didn't see the edge.

With a yelp and an ungainly flailing of arms, he tumbled over the edge and landed on his face in the mud. "Crap," he spluttered, spitting mud out. "God, I hope there's nothing disgusting in that."

"Major? Major! Are you okay?" Parrish was shouting and he could hear him on the radio too, and Kaufman and Reed's responses.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, just a little muddy." He got up onto his hands and knees, fingers digging into the slurry. He spit again, shaking his head to try to get some of it off his face without smearing it further.

A bright spot caught the corner of one eye, and he looked, ignoring Parrish's prattle above him. "Okay, what's this?"

He crawled over to it, a glint of sunlight reflecting from something. Brushing the mud away, it looked like the top of a smooth, metal arc. "Holy shit."

"What?" Parrish asked, as Reed and Kaufman came pelting up at top speed. "Are you hurt? Do you need a rope?"

"Yeah," Evan said. He sat back on his haunches. He was so muddy that getting his ass in it too wasn't going to make that much difference. "And I think we need a shovel."

Twenty minutes later, they were all knee deep in the mudhole, and a good bit of the arch was unearthed. It was some kind of doorway, but nothing they did opened it. "Crap," he said. "I think we're gonna have to get the engineering geeks out here. I got bupkis."

"Good," Parrish muttered. "I can't make heads or tails of the readings here. I'm a botanist, not a metallurgist."

"That mean we can go home, Major?" Reed asked.

Evan wiped sweat from his still-muddy face. It was drying and cracking and felt really nasty, but there hadn't been much choice for cleanup. "Yeah. I think that means we go home. Fuck, I need a shower."

"Okay," Kauffman said, starting to grab some of the supplies. "Let's pack it in."

*** 

"Doctor Kavanagh was most unsettled," Teyla said, watching as the puddle vanished within the Gate.

Radek sighed and rubbed his forehead. "If he was not upset about something, I would think he was feverish."

"The other scientists who went on the mission were not so perturbed."

Radek nodded. "This is because none of them feel that Rodney should have left them in charge instead of me."

Lorne was there, freshly showered and in a clean uniform. "Can't think of anybody I'd rather see slopping around in a mud hole than Kavanagh." He paused. "Well, okay, maybe McKay."

"You barely know Dr. Kavanagh," Teyla said, giving Lorne a raised eyebrow.

He smiled back, a crooked little grin. "I've heard enough of his tirades already. The man's a menace. And he needs a haircut." Lorne looked at Radek. "No offense, Doc."

Radek snorted. "None taken. His hair does not bother me, just his personality. Perhaps Dr. Chandrapurna can find a way to do a personality transplant. With Ancient technology..."

Lorne laughed and even Teyla let herself smile just a little at the comment.

"I believe we have paperwork, Dr. Zelenka," Teyla said, gesturing toward Dr. Weir's -- now their -- office.

Radek tugged his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. "Of course. Always there is paperwork. Paperless office. Yes. Like sound-powered telephone battery." Lorne snickered but Teyla just gave him a blank look. 

"Geek joke," Lorne said.

"Two things that do not exist," Radek said, taking pity on Teyla's confusion.

"Oh." She sounded less than convinced. "Perhaps we should get started."

The next several hours were filled with reviewing reports, filling out forms about reports, approving reports, giving reports to someone to file, and filling out reports about all the reports they'd reviewed. Radek was about to slam his head on his desk, or perhaps commit seppuku, if he could find a sharp enough screwdriver.

"I believe it is time for dinner," Teyla said, eyeing him as he was contemplating suicide by patch cord.

"Do you think Elizabeth hates us?" he asked.

Teyla blinked. "No, why?" She looked confused again. It was really rather adorable, when Radek thought about it.

He shook his head. "Of course not. Nothing."

In the mess hall, she and Radek sat together, still discussing the frightening mountains of paperwork. It was truly appalling. Even Rodney had nowhere near this much as head of the sciences department. Radek sighed and tapped his radio. "Geoff, where are you?"

"Just finished up a damage control shift. You?" Geoff sounded as exhausted as he had last night.

"I am in the mess hall with Teyla. Perhaps you would like to join us?"

"Okay, sure. I'll see you in about ten minutes."

"How is Dr. Osbourne doing?" Teyla asked. "I... I know he was very upset with Rodney about Dr. Grodin's death."

Radek gave her a puzzled glance. "Yes," he said softly. "Yes, he still is. But I did not know you knew this."

"I went a few times to visit the three of you in the infirmary while you were all recovering. He was there as well. It was quite apparent he was uneasy with Rodney. And... to be honest, Rodney apologized several times when he was awake. It upset Dr. Osbourne very much."

"I see," Radek said. "I didn't know. I do not think I remember you there."

"You were always asleep when I was visiting. I did speak to Rodney once, but he was not very coherent."

Her dark brown eyes reminded him of Peter's, and something caught in Radek's chest. "What did he say?"

"That he wished it had never happened. He was very afraid. He spoke of losing Carson, and you." She clasped her hands together. "I believe he cares for you a great deal. He is very afraid of losing more of his friends, after all that has happened."

Radek nodded, silent. He picked up his cup of coffee and just let the steam rise around his face. It fogged one of his lenses, but he ignored it. The implications of what Teyla was saying soaked into his skin. It wasn't a thing he could deal with right now.

Teyla ate as Radek sat, absorbed in his own thoughts. He looked up when Dr. Chandrapurna joined them. "Good evening," Anand said.

"Good evening, Dr. Chandrapurna," Teyla said to him.

Radek nodded. "Anand."

"I have the results back finally from Major Lorne's bloodwork. He is very lucky he does not have dysentery. I do not understand how the military here manage to survive these offworld missions of theirs. Always they are getting hurt or ingesting some questionable substance. Usually at the same time." Anand sighed and set his tray down.

"I do not believe he ate the mud deliberately," Radek said.

"No, no, of course not, but it is almost as though they do. I swear they do this specifically to frustrate the medical staff." He waved his hands in the air, narrowly missing Radek with his fork. "I have set up my shrine for Hanuman in a corner of the infirmary. This is good, because every day I find myself praying that I will not kill my patients when they do these things."

"What is Hanuman?" Teyla asked.

"Oh!" Anand grinned. "He is a god of medicine and the devotee of Rama, but also a god of warriors and martial arts. Very powerful and very strong; he is a very good god for doctors."

Teyla nodded. "I have not seen much of your people's religion. In fact, there are times when I wonder if your people have any religion at all. Rodney has made a habit of ridiculing the beliefs of people on other worlds, and I wondered if all your people were that way."

"Our people, they have many religions," Radek said, "not just one."

"Dr. McKay, he does not believe in any of them. He insults ours as well as those of others," Anand said. "I think some day this will get him in much trouble."

Radek shrugged. "I am atheist also, but I see no reason to insult anyone who is not. Of course, that is Rodney -- always saying the wrong thing."

Anand nodded, chuckling. "Yes, always the wrong thing." They all looked up as Geoff joined them at the table. "Hello, Dr. Osbourne." Anand smiled and moved so that Geoff could sit next to Radek.

"Dr. Zelenka and Dr. Chandrapurna were telling me about your people's religions," Teyla said, smiling at Geoff.

"Oh, that's a complex one," Geoff said. "It's a better question for anthropologists than people like me or Radek." He shrugged. "I try not to pay attention to it. Too many religions would say that Radek and I should be condemned to eternal torture for having the temerity to love each other." A dark look crossed his face. "No real reason for me to believe in something like that."

Teyla nodded. "Yes, I have noticed that some of your people are distinctly uncomfortable with such relationships. It's not an issue among my people. We believe that love is a blessing, no matter what form it takes."

"This is a better way, indeed," Anand said. "In my religion, it is also not generally accepted, but there was a time when it was, and when such people were considered holy."

"I didn't know that," Radek said.

"Are you also one of these atheists?" Teyla asked Geoff.

Geoff shook his head. "Not as such. I guess I'd have to say I'm agnostic. That means I don't know what's out there, and I'm reserving judgment."

"Ah," Teyla said. It looked like she still wasn't quite following. "Are there many religious people here? I know there were ceremonies to honor the dead, but I did not know which words and songs were from any given tradition."

"Several dozen," Geoff said. He shrugged. "I'm not really sure who believes what. Mostly, with us, it's a private thing. And given that there are some serious conflicts between different belief systems on our world, it's really better that way. We can't afford to have a small, isolated population like ours fragmenting in that way. We've had enough trouble already because of things like that."

"Yes," she said, looking at Radek. "I remember."

Anand tilted his head. "Dr. Kavanagh was most displeased today when I gave him his offworld pre-mission physical. He had not yet been offworld, though, and so it was necessary. He is such an unpleasant man."

Geoff raised an eyebrow. "You sent him offworld?"

"To the mud pit planet," Radek said, smiling. "But he is with the Novograd Twins, so I think it will be all right. They manage to work together in peace most of the time. They even find some of his work admirable."

"Only because they can insult him behind his back in Russian," Geoff said, smirking. "God, I wish I could have seen the Gateroom tantrum. There was one, wasn't there?"

"He was quite... alarmed," Teyla said.

Radek shrugged. "Actually, I do not blame him for not wanting to go offworld. I prefer to leave that to Rodney. What I do blame Kavanagh for, though, is his constant attempts to undermine anyone else's authority."

"So many people dislike Dr. Kavanagh," Teyla said. "Why did he stay here when he could have chosen to return to Earth?"

"For the same reason the rest of us did," Radek said with a shrug. "He loves the challenge. He appreciates the opportunities we have here for discovery. In that he is just like the rest of us."

"I had not considered that," Teyla said. 

"He has his friends," Geoff added. "Tryggveson and a few of the others. He had a girlfriend -- Sharon Dumais. God knows what she saw in him."

"Also," Radek said, "Peter is a competent man. He often obscures it in the mire of his less than savory personality, but when he stays within his field, he does know what he's doing."

"At least I see him only rarely," Anand said. 

Radek ate quietly for a few minutes, listening to the conversation around him. Fortunately, conversation moved away from Peter Kavanagh and on to other topics. Eventually, Radek yawned.

"I am rather tired," he said. "I think it is time for me to turn in. I never expected reports to be so exhausting." He gestured to Geoff. "And you?"

"Yeah. Dealing with repairs from the fires and the rest of the damage has been hell on my back lately. We'll see you folks tomorrow." Teyla and Anand wished them a good night, and he and Geoff rose and walked off hand in hand.

***

He hated the mud. He hated the fact he was shoveling mud. Certainly Ivanov and Gasparov were shoveling as well, but really, Peter felt he should be _supervising_ the work, not expected to get his hands dirty. Besides, it was raining and he was cold and miserable. His fingers were getting stiff around the handle of the shovel and his back ached.

"Kavanagh," Stackhouse growled, "pick up the pace a little. I'd like to have the rest of this damned thing excavated before nightfall."

"This is what the archaeologists are for," Peter snarled back. "You shouldn't have engineers and physicists digging pits."

"We got a linguist digging in the mud here, too," Stackhouse said. "Everybody digs, then you guys get to play in your specialist sandboxes."

"Specialist mud pits," Peter muttered. There were enough soldiers with them -- half a dozen -- that the scientists shouldn't have to be doing any of this. Most of the military were hauling the mud out of the pit they were creating as they excavated the door.

" _Bože_ ," Ivanov snapped, "you would think you were better than all of us, to hear you talk, Kavanagh."

"You'll wish we all weren't so fried when we finally get the damned door open," Peter said. He really didn't understand why the others didn't get that he was trying to look out for all of them. He couldn't image the physicists and Dr. Sakai _wanted_ to be doing menial labor like this.

"So dig and it'll get opened faster." Stackhouse looked about ready to hit him with his shovel.

"All of you military seem to think you can shove the scientists around. It's even worse now that there are more of you. The Daedalus may have saved our asses, but it didn't do us any favors when it brought more military mindset with it." Peter flung another shovelful of mud off to the side. He was dying of curiosity about what might lie on the other side of the door, but he wasn't about to admit it to the grunt.

"Is not the same," Gasparov agreed. "Very much more American military presence. It is not so balanced now. I hope that when Dr. Weir and the rest of the command staff return, it will be with more people from other nations as well. The Americans, they are too arrogant."

Dr. Sakai sighed. "Yes, yes. And the sooner we can get these inscriptions uncovered, the more quickly I can translate them." She pushed her long, black hair back with one wrist.

"You shouldn't be digging either, Mariko," Peter said. "You're the head of the soft sciences division. If I was in charge--"

She glared at him. "If you were in charge, we would be dead." Peter narrowed his eyes. She was wrong. They wouldn't have run into half the problems they'd had if he'd been in charge instead of McKay.

"You are too cautious," Gasparov said, nodding in agreement as he threw another shovelful of mud into the pile. 

"I seem to recall that more caution would have been useful in several situations," Peter snapped in return.

"Really," Stackhouse said, "another ten or fifteen minutes should do it, then we can all go hose ourselves off or something." He glared at Peter. " _Please_ , let's just get this over with so we can get into something clean and dry, okay?"

"Night will come soon," Sakai added. "I would like to have something hot when the sun is falling."

"Some soup would be nice," Ivanov said. "And shelter. Is too wet here. I don't like the rain." He jammed his shovel into the mud and struck metal again.

"Miso," Sakai sighed. "I miss miso."

"You could put in a request, Doc," Stackhouse said. "I'm sure when we get the new mess staff, they'd do some for us."

She looked at him, tucking a stray lock of hair behind one ear. "It's not the same if you don't make it yourself, or at least in small batches. Too big, and you ruin the flavor." Her eyes got a glassy, far-away look in them. "And unagi. I miss unagi."

"Really doubt they'll make _that_ in the mess." Stackhouse shook his head. "Man, a sushi bento would be great out here. I mean, Atlantis. Water. Fish. How could you go wrong?"

"No wasabi," Sakai said, her voice flat.

"No pickled ginger," Peter added wistfully. He'd always liked Japanese food. Arguing with these people obviously wasn't going to get him anywhere, nor was it going to get them under cover from the rain any faster, so he put his back into the work and shoveled.

*** 

Teyla could see it in their eyes sometimes; the suspicion in the way they looked at her. They had come with Colonel Everett, and with the Daedalus, and they did not understand. 

In the few days since Dr. Weir and the others had returned to Earth and she and Dr. Zelenka had been left in charge, the looks had grown more piercing, more direct. Though Major Lorne had assured her there would be no problems, still, she wondered.

There had been words in the corridors from those who thought she did not hear. Always they had been challenged by those who had first come from Earth. Their support warmed her, but she was left feeling great discomfort that such defense should be needed at all. She had proved herself over and over again, but the new ones didn't know that. They saw only an alien, one they could not trust.

She missed her team -- her friends. She missed Major Sheppard's easy style of command and Rodney's restless energy. And she missed Aiden's humor and curiosity. That, she thought, hurt most of all.

The gulf that Aiden Ford's departure had left in her life twisted her gut. What had happened to him -- it could have happened to any of them. She wondered if what he suffered was worse than being fed upon by the Wraith. It had driven him mad, after all. He'd attacked Dr. Beckett not once, but twice, and hurt Dr. Zelenka as well. None of these were things Aiden would have done, were he in his right mind.

She felt profoundly alone here among the people she'd chosen to work with in service to her own people. Those she knew best were gone and would not return for nearly two months. The future was brighter than it had been only a week ago, but it was still uncertain. While she was used to leading her own people, she was still, after a year, a stranger to the ways of the people she was now caring for. She missed Halling and Charon and Jinto, wishing she could be among them now, for even a few hours.

The losses her friends had suffered in the year they had been here were profound. She looked out over the water from the balcony outside the Gateroom. Before she came here, she had never seen so much water in her life. Before she came to the City of the Ancestors, she'd never met people who were at the same time both so brave and so foolhardy. She feared for them, but knew beyond doubt that they were everyone's best hope against the Wraith.

They spoke like people who had never met an enemy they could not defeat. They walked with pride, even with arrogance, but it was tempered by an innocence that left her in wonder. Teyla envied them for having grown up without the shadow of the Wraith on their world. But their unshadowed brightness gave her hope in a way she had never believed possible.

Lt. Miller came out to the balcony, joining her silently. They both leaned on the railing and stared out into the distance.

"Your people are a puzzle to me so often," she said, finally breaking the stillness. "You are a paradox."

"How so?" Miller asked. He was warm next to her, tall and thin, his face lined with what they'd all been through. She would not have taken him for a warrior before she met the people of Earth.

"Everything about you. You are so similar to my people, but so different. It is very hard to put into words, I think." She shrugged. "I would never have believed that people like Dr. McKay could exist: such courage in one who at first appears a coward. That your people can be so accepting of differences and yet so cruel to one another is confusing." She gestured with one hand, encompassing the City around them. "You come from so far away, yet are linked more closely to the Ancestors than anyone I have ever known."

Miller pursed his lips and leaned one hip against the railing. "Okay, yeah, I guess we're pretty confusing. I mean, hell, we confuse ourselves." He gave her a wry smile.

"I would think you would understand your own people," Teyla said.

Miller shook his head. "Nah. I don't even understand myself half the time. I mean, you talk about McKay; back home I never would have given him the time of day. I used to think that guys like him were... well... wrong. That people shouldn't be like that. I thought they were different from the rest of us." He sighed and looked away. "I was wrong, you know? Way more wrong than I ever could have known. Him and Dr. Grodin, and Zelenka and the rest of them, they're just like everyone else who came here. I never really thought I'd end up saying this, but who am I to judge them? They're just as willing to give up everything, to die for this as I am, and I can't see anything wrong with that."

"This is part of what puzzles me," Teyla said. "You're a warrior. You trained for this. But the scientists, they never did. And yet they carry weapons and they fight beside you. They rarely complain as much as perhaps they are entitled to -- though admittedly Dr. McKay complains frequently. Yet when things are at their most difficult, he does what is necessary." She tapped her fingers lightly against the railing, restless. "Your people have such strength, but it is hidden within a deceptive softness."

"I hear a lot of the new guys wondering why you're in charge," he said. "I wish they could have been here with us." He put a hand on her wrist, warm and strong. "They just don't get it. You may not be from Earth, but you're not an alien. You're one of us now. You stood by us through everything, even when Bates was being a jerk." His fingers tightened on her wrist for a moment and he drew his hand back. "The ones who say that shit, they've got no idea what they're talking about. You're one of us. I just wanted you to know that."

Miller nodded to her, leaving her standing on the balcony, astonished.

After a moment, Teyla smiled. Perhaps she was not so alone as she'd believed.

*** 

Radek had his head inside the control panel of a newly discovered medical system when he felt a soft touch on one leg. It startled him, but he managed not to hit his head on the casing. "Yes, yes, what?" he grumbled.

"Radek." Geoff's voice was shaky.

He backed out of the casing. "Geoff?" His lover looked like he'd had a very rough day.

"It's past twenty-six hundred," Geoff said. "I... I know you're busy, but I could really use your company."

Radek blinked and looked at the digital display on his watch. " _Zatraceně_. I am sorry. I had no idea it was so late." He staggered to his feet, knees aching. "What is wrong?"

Geoff shook his head. "Just... just come home."

" _Ano_ , yes, one moment. I must put a few things away." Geoff had never sounded quite like this before. It frightened Radek more than a little. He hurried to gather his tools and made his final notes regarding his progress so the next shift could take over.

Geoff moved restlessly as Radek finished, a haunted look in his eyes. The moment Radek was done, Geoff's hand closed over his wrist, tight and distressed.

"Come, then," Radek said. He ran a hand down Geoff's arm from shoulder to elbow, trying to soothe the trembling, but it didn't help. They walked home side by side, hand in hand, and all Radek could feel was Geoff shaking next to him.

"What is it?" he asked when they finally had their door shut behind them.

Geoff sat down on the couch and tugged Radek down with him, clinging to him. "Tried to sleep," he said softly. "Couldn't sleep. I just couldn't sleep. There were nightmares. It-it was bad, Radek."

"Talk to me, _miláčku_." He slipped a hand behind Geoff's back, stroking gently.

"It was you," Geoff whispered. "You... you'd gone with Rodney. It was you."

Radek tried not to choke, and wrapped his arms around his lover. "I am here," he whispered. "I'm safe. I'm alive."

"Woke up," Geoff said, his voice breaking. "Woke up and you weren't here. I just... it was so real."

"I'm here," Radek repeated, his voice urgent. "It was not real, _miláčku_. It was only a nightmare."

Geoff took a shuddering breath, tightening his grip on Radek. "Rodney kept... he kept apologizing. He kept saying he was sorry, that he wished it had been him. I just... he kept saying that when you were in detox, when you were all so messed up. God, Radek, why is this all so messed up?"

Radek had no answer for that, so he mumbled nothings in Czech as Geoff shook in his arms. "Why am I so messed up?" Geoff asked, his tears burning Radek's cheek. "This isn't his fault. It's not, but I'm so... I don't know how not to be angry with him. For... for still being here when Peter's not. For..." His voice cracked and he fell silent, weeping.

"You are grieving, Geoff." He nuzzled his lover's neck. "Grief makes us say and think and do things that we would not if we were sane."

"I don't want to lose you, too." Geoff raised his face and looked at Radek, his eyes bloodshot and puffy from his weeping.

Radek took Geoff's face in his hands. "Listen to me," he said, intense and worried. "Listen to this. You are not going to lose me." Geoff's blue eyes focused on him. "We will mourn and we will never forget Peter, but we will also move on, because you know he would not want us to despair. He died so that we could all survive. Do not take that away from him. Honor him for that. Love him for that."

Radek could see the moment Geoff's anger snapped and fell away. His eyes widened and then closed tightly, tears streaming down his face. He nodded and shuddered in Radek's arms, burying his face in Radek's shoulder. It was a long time before Geoff came up for breath, but when he did, he was steadier.

*** 

Planet Mudhole wasn't quite as squishy today, Evan decided. That was about the only pleasant thing about it. Kavanagh hadn't stopped bitching since he'd seen him. It was Major Lorne this and Major Lorne that and you jarheads have no sense and you're all stupid assholes and Evan really wanted to strangle the bastard with his own geeky ponytail.

"We are almost ready to attempt opening the door," Dr. Ivanov said, elbowing Kavanagh out of the way.

"The inscriptions indicate it might have been some kind of social research or government facility," Dr. Sakai added.

Evan took a step back from the arched doorway. The area was considerably more excavated than when he'd seen it last. "You're certain it's not medical research?" He'd heard about how the geeks had found a nanovirus that nearly wiped out the city last year.

"Oh, no, definitely not," Sakai said. "The inscription here," she ran her finger along one side of the arch, "says it is for research regarding interactions between persons. Language about medical research is quite different, trust me. Always there is some reference to health or balance or genetics."

"Zelenka sent us here for social research?" Kavanagh groaned.

"He sent you here to open the damned door, Dr. Kavanagh," Evan snapped. "So I'd suggest you do so."

Kavanagh gave his most put-upon look and turned back to the two Russian scientists, showing them the display on his tablet. "All right," he said to them, "here's where I think our trouble is."

Evan left them to their business and went to hunt up Sergeant Stackhouse. He was nearby, supervising the camp operations for the team on Planet Mudhole. "Stackhouse!"

Stackhouse looked up. "Yes, Major?"

"How's it going? And how have you managed not to strangle Pony-Boy yet?"

Stackhouse cracked a wan grin. He shrugged. "Got better things to do, Sir."

"They'd probably be easier if you scragged his scrawny ass." He grinned back.

"No doubt." Stackhouse gestured to the Jumper. "Come on in out of the rain and have some coffee. I think the geeks have it licked. Shouldn't be more than maybe an hour before they have the door open."

Evan followed the Sergeant into the Jumper, glad to be out of the unpleasant weather. He accepted the proffered coffee, sipping at it gratefully. "I hope this turns out to be something. Last two missions were a total bust."

Stackhouse nodded. "Yeah, I know." He looked weary, more tired than he should have been for just being offworld overnight with a bunch of geeks.

"You okay, Sergeant? You look a little rough around the edges."

His eyes got a haunted look and he hesitated before he answered. "Just... lost some good friends in the siege, Sir." Stackhouse blinked for a moment. Evan thought he'd been more than just close, by the looks of it. "You know how it goes."

Evan nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I do." He'd lost people he'd cared about before, good friends, even. War did that, and the folks who'd been in Atlantis the past year, they'd been fighting a war they'd never expected. Even the geeks had fought. Evan had to admit that he was impressed, despite himself.

"They were good people," Stackhouse said softly.

Evan patted his shoulder then gave it a rub. "I'm sure they were."

After a moment, Stackhouse pulled himself together. "Sorry, Sir," he said. "The mission's going pretty well, if you can ignore Kavanagh's bitching and all the rain."

"Any sign of inhabitants? Wraith?"

Stackhouse shook his head. "No, nothing. I've got four people running the perimeter at all times."

"Good, glad to hear it."

"Me too. I've had more than enough of those life-sucking bastards." Stackhouse's voice was vehement, anger tingeing it.

"Can't have been easy," Evan said. He'd been on Atlantis since the Daedalus's arrival about two weeks ago, but he'd not really had much chance to just sit and talk with any of the personnel who had been through the fire.

"It was hell," Stackhouse said, his voice flat. "Pure hell."

"But you're still here. You could have gone back to Earth. Nobody would have looked down on you."

Stackhouse looked him in the eye, anger flashing. "Back? You think I'm giving up? No way. I've fought too much for this place, lost too many friends -- just... just too much." He slapped one hand down on the bench they sat on. "He -- they wouldn't have wanted me to leave. I'm not. When I came here, I knew it might be a one-way trip." His face hardened. "You came here knowing you'll go back to Earth when your rotation's done. The first wave, after all we've been through? We're Atlanteans now, Sir. The ones who aren't went back to Earth. Nobody else who stepped through the gate that first time is gonna leave for good unless they carry us out in a body bag."

Evan raised his hands in a calming gesture. "Hey, sorry. I didn't mean any insult. Really. I'm just trying to figure it all out, you know?" He gestured toward the Gate. "Even the assholes here, they all seem pretty damned loyal to each other. People hate jerks like Kavanagh and McKay, but they still defend them. You must have gone through more than just hell for something like that to happen."

Stackhouse took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah. It's true. Though, McKay, he's not so bad if you can get past the bluster. He's saved all our asses more times than I can count."

"I read some of the reports. Must be some damned genius."

Stackhouse snorted. "Well, get him started on his astrophysics stuff and I don't understand a damned word he says." He shrugged. "Then again, not my job. My job is to shoot anybody who tries to hurt him -- or any of the other brains around here. Some of 'em are damned fine people. Remember that."

Sakai came hurrying up. "Major, Sergeant, the door is open!" She was practically bouncing. "Dr. Kavanagh wanted to go in first, but we would not let him until your soldiers are here."

Evan stood, taking another sip from the coffee before he had to leave the relative shelter of the Jumper. "Good, Ma'am. Glad to hear it." He tapped his radio. "All units; report back to base."

"Okay," Stackhouse said. "Let's go see what we've got."

*** 

Kate Heightmeyer looked up as her door opened. "Yes?" Dr. Zelenka stood there, looking troubled. "Radek? How can I help you?"

He shuffled nervously. "Do you perhaps have a little time right now?"

She gave a quick look at her schedule. Her next appointment wasn't for another hour and a half. "Yes," she said, nodding. Rising, she gestured to the soft, comfortable chairs she preferred for her counseling work. "Please, come in and have a seat. Can I get you some tea or coffee?"

"Do you have mint tea?" Radek asked. "I think I have had too many stimulants recently. Even the coffee, it makes me more jittery than usual."

She nodded and pulled a mint teabag from her collection, pouring him a cup. "Here you are. What brings you here today?"

His shoulders were slumped and his face showed lines of exhaustion. She guessed he hadn't been sleeping well. The shadows in his eyes told of too much work and not enough rest.

"Many things," he said softly. He cupped the mug in his hands, twisting it back and forth nervously as the steam rose from it. "Too many things, I think."

"How are you feeling physically?" she asked. "Have you been sleeping? You must still be feeling the effects of the stimulant withdrawal."

Radek nodded. "Yes, my sleep has not been good. Nor has Geoff's. We are waking each other in the night, I think. The nightmares have been bad."

She leaned forward in her chair, her elbows on her knees, chin on her hands. "That's what I would expect after what we've all been through. I know he was there during the detox, almost the entire time. Dr. Biro had a hard time getting him to leave."

"I'm afraid I do not remember most of it," Radek admitted. "Only flashes here and there. I remember Geoff being there. I remember Rodney and Carson on either side of me. I think... why did they have Carson in restraints?"

Kate sighed. "At first, he kept trying to get up to help other people. Eventually he was just thrashing too much. We were very afraid he'd hurt himself. No one wanted to do it, but it was necessary."

Radek looked up at her, eyes bright behind his glasses. "I think I am glad I don't remember more."

"It was very hard on everyone," Kate agreed. "But you've all come through it. I take it from your comment about the coffee that you're not having cravings for more stimulants, then. That's good."

"No," Radek said. "Not at all. I shudder to think of them to be honest. It was very hard, having to take them, having to be awake for days at a time like that. Still my mind is not quite what it was. I feel slow, dull."

"That'll probably last another week or so," she said. "Getting more rest should help though."

"There... there is something else, though," Radek said. He looked down at his mint tea, sipping slowly for a moment. "It's... Geoff is very angry right now, particularly at Rodney, and while this is getting a bit better in the past day or so, it is hard on both of us." He set the teacup down on the table.

"Why is he angry at Rodney?" McKay had done everything humanly possible to save the city, right at Radek's side. Geoff's anger didn't make sense.

Radek hesitated. "This... it is not something that most people know, though a few were aware."

"And what's that?"

He crossed one leg over the other, guarding himself. It was obvious he didn't really want to say whatever he was about to. "Geoff and I, we... we were involved with Peter Grodin."

The enormity of the realization hit her, leaving her numb for a moment. Of course Osbourne would be angry. "Oh, I'm so sorry. That must be terrible for both of you." She took a deep breath. Her training hadn't really gone into counseling for that kind of relationship between more than two people. "Does he blame Rodney for leaving Peter behind?"

Radek nodded, his lips twitching as tears formed in his eyes. "Yes. He knows it was not Rodney's fault, but he is still very angry. He accused me of not seeing Rodney's guilt because of my..." He hesitated, and she wondered if there was something beneath that. Rodney and Radek had become good friends; close after all they'd been through together. Was Geoff also expressing jealousy? 

"I have done my best to help," he continued, "but I am barely holding myself together. I don't know how to keep both of us from drowning in this." He took a sharp breath and sniffled, rubbing his sleeve across his nose. "I'm sorry. I should not react this way, I--"

"Radek." She reached out and took his hand. He was shaking. "It's all right. It's perfectly natural to feel this way when you lose someone so close to you. Please don't feel like you have to hide your grief or your other feelings here. This is a place where you should feel safe to express what you're feeling so that you can find constructive ways to deal with it. I'm here to help."

"I... yes, of course, you're right." He took off his glasses and rubbed his face with his palms. "I don't know what I'm thinking. It's as I said, my mind feels very dull lately. So many things, they are not clear anymore. And I ache so much for losing Peter."

"How long had you been together?" Kate asked. It certainly hadn't been obvious. Grodin hadn't been living with them.

Radek sighed. "Since not long after the Lagrange satellite was discovered," he said, "but Peter and Geoff, they had been together back in Antarctica." His shoulders shook slightly and he looked up, eyes wet and reddened with his tears. "They were... just friends then. They were together, but they were not in love. When Geoff and I met..." He trailed off, looking stricken. "Peter did not mind, truly, when that happened, but later... later, not so much."

Kate thought about it for a few moments. "It sounds like it was very complicated." There were so many layers of relationship here; so much that had gone on between the three men that she hadn't realized or anticipated, even in the aftermath of Radek's assault.

"It was," Radek said, nodding. "But I was not jealous. I know... I know Geoff loves me. He cares for many people, and I think he falls in love easily. And Peter, we both cared for him very much. We brought him in with us because we did not want to see him lonely. And he was, very much. Geoff, I think, was half in love with him anyway."

"And you?"

"For me," he whispered, "this came later. I should not feel this way. Geoff, he's the one who truly lost a lover. I..." Radek's voice broke and he sobbed into his hands.

"You lost a lover as well, from the sounds of it," she said. "Just because you hadn't been in love with him for as long doesn't mean it wasn't love. It doesn't mean that his loss is any less for you."

"I try so hard," he said, his voice shaking. "I try to be there for Geoff, but I fear that if I am not strong for him, we will both fall."

"Perhaps," Kate offered, handing him a tissue, "if you tell him that you're hurting as well, it will give him an opportunity to see that you need him as much as he needs you. If he has something other than his anger with Rodney to focus on, perhaps it will give him an opportunity to heal, to become stronger, so that you can lean on each other."

"Perhaps," Radek said softly, taking it from her. "I worry for Rodney." He wiped his eyes and blew his nose. "He takes these losses so personally, and he knows that Geoff blames him." 

She nodded. She'd seen so much grief and pain over the past year. Kate wondered if she'd survive the whole ordeal with her own sanity intact. Everyone had lost people, and she had half the base coming to her for counseling. "Did Geoff confront him?"

"No." Radek shook his head. "The day Geoff returned from the Alpha site, then we had a fight. I walked away before I could say things I did not mean. I... I couldn't bear to fight with him, and I could not bear to see Rodney hurt, and he had to know. I went to Carson and Rodney and we talked, and I just... I could not go back to Geoff that night." He blew his nose again, shivering a little with the emotion running through him. "I stayed there," he said. "They are good friends."

There was something in the way he said it that left Kate wondering about the nature of his relationship with McKay. Rodney hadn't normally been a man to let anyone close, but his relationship with Carson Beckett had changed a lot of things in his life. "How did he react?"

"Rodney?" Radek looked up at her, eyes squinting without his glasses. "He still blames himself. Carson and I had to talk him away from that. It was not good, but better he should hear from me than for Geoff to find him and shout at him."

"It sounds like they need to talk about this," Kate said.

"Yes." Radek nodded. "I am telling him this. I think Rodney will listen, and I think Geoff has finally faced that Rodney did everything he could, but he could not save..." he choked, "...could not save Peter."

Kate nodded, taking in the depth of the emotion in Radek's reaction. "It'll take time. Radek, I want you to try to take deep breaths for me. I know you're hurting, but you need to breathe."

This was going to be a long, tough session.

*** 

"So we've got Dr. Sakai looking at these chunks of database," Evan said to the others assembled at the briefing. Teyla was patient. Zelenka looked like he'd not slept in a week. Chandrapurna was fiddling with his tablet, looking like he couldn't wait to give his own report and get the hell out of there. Evan couldn't blame him. Sgt. Campbell just looked bored as he took notes. "She says it's some kind of social sciences thing."

Zelenka raised an eyebrow. "And we are still there, why?"

"She says it could be important. I've got no idea what they've translated so far. Thank god I could send Kavanagh and the others back to Atlantis. I swear, another ten minutes of his bitching and I'd have shot him."

Campbell snickered. Zelenka tried not to smile. "This was probably a wise decision on your part, Major Lorne," Teyla said. God, he hated how she always managed to look inscrutable. The fact she was hot and could mop the floor with most of his men made it even worse.

"I'm gonna recommend we send some more of the anthro and lingie geeks over," Evan said. "I don't like the idea of staying exposed for so long in one place. If the Wraith wander by and find us, we're screwed."

Zelenka nodded. "Yes. Save the real scientists for the work on city systems and exploration."

Chandrapurna gave Zelenka a sour look. "They are real scientists as well, you know."

"They barely even know statistics," Zelenka insisted. "How is this real science?"

"Just because they're not so good at Prime-Not Prime--" Campbell started.

Zelenka shook his head. "This is all irrelevant anyway. We should be getting on to more important things, like power consumption ratios." Everyone around the table groaned. "What?" Zelenka asked. "This information, it is imperative. Impacts the quality of life and the safety of every individual in the city."

"Actually," Evan muttered, "I think I'd rather be back on Planet Mudhole with the anthro geeks."

Teyla looked at him, a hint of humor in her dark eyes. "Major Lorne, I'm sorry but you must stay and suffer with the rest of the temporary command staff."

"Suffering?" Zelenka sputtered. "What is suffering about such equations? They are a thing of beauty."

Evan idly considered firing squads. He did an armory inventory in his head. He twiddled his thumbs under the table while Zelenka droned on about power consumption ratios, progress reports on damage control and repairs, and other multi-syllabic annoyances. It was like listening to Daniel Jackson, but with differential equations.

Four cups of coffee later, the meeting was finally over with. He stood, surprised when Teyla joined him in exiting the conference room. "Ms. Emmagan?"

"I have been missing my daily workouts with Major Sheppard and..." her voice caught for a moment, "...and Lieutenant Ford. Would you care to join me?"

He hesitated for a moment. It was an absolute certainty that she was going to kick his ass from here to next Sunday, but then again -- hot. She was really, really hot. Evan thought she'd look amazing all sweaty and breathing hard. It was probably as close as he was likely to get to sex for the next six months anyway. "Um. Sure. Where and when?"

"Half an hour," she said. "The usual workout area will be fine. How are your hand to hand combat skills?"

"Not too shabby," he said. "You use those sticks, right?"

She nodded. "Yes. They are a traditional part of my people's ways. We meditate with them as well as using them in combat."

Evan nodded. "Yeah, we've got stuff like that too -- Karate, Kung Fu, Hap Ki Do -- though I haven't studied a lot of it. Will you teach me how you do that?"

She smiled, a broad, warm smile. He rather liked that reaction, to be honest. "Of course, Major. I would be delighted."

Okay, he thought, so, bruises -- but the day was looking up.

*** 

Radek lay on their bed, still dressed, his feet dangling off the side. One hand rested on his stomach and he stared at the ceiling. It was dappled with the light of two moons reflected off the water far below. He sighed, thinking about Peter and Geoff, and wondering what Rodney and Carson were doing now. It had been only a little while since they'd left. They were probably still in the midst of overenthusiastic debriefing sessions in Cheyenne Mountain.

In a way, he envied them. It would be nice to be back on Earth for a little while, he thought; back where there was some prayer he might see Marjeta, where the threat of discovery by the Wraith was not hanging over his head every moment.

He had genuinely not expected to still be alive now, given the siege they'd endured. Not that he was not glad, of course, and Geoff had survived as well, but to still be alive was... shocking.

Geoff's anger was, in some ways, almost as much of a shock to him. His blame of Rodney had faded somewhat, but was still there. Radek had hopes that by the time Rodney returned, the two would be able to work through this. It was necessary, if only for peace between his lover and his closest friends.

It disturbed him how he could barely think of anything anymore without also thinking of Rodney. The arrogant _zkurvysyn_ had got under his skin after so much close exposure, after seeing the man for what he really was rather than the loud and obnoxious but carefully constructed shields he'd built around himself. He toed his boots off with a lazy motion, listening to the thunks as they hit the floor.

Radek knew that his growing affection for Rodney in no way affected his feelings for Geoff, but theirs was a meeting of mind that was truly extraordinary. He'd never known anyone whose thoughts were on the same level. The way they completed one another's sentences, leaping to strange peaks of intuition was truly frightening sometimes. It was something he could never share with another.

The plain fact was that Rodney leapt ahead of him on so many occasions, though he would never admit it to the man's face. It would give his already colossal ego regarding his intelligence far too much ammunition. He knew he had Rodney's respect. He suspected he had a certain amount of his affection as well, if he were honest with himself, but Rodney was far too attached to Carson for it to become anything else.

If anyone had told Radek the day he met Rodney McKay that the man would become one of his dearest friends, he would have asked them what drugs they were taking, and why they'd been allowed out of the infirmary. Had they dared to suggest he would want to kiss the man -- well, that would have called for slitting his own throat with a dull teaspoon.

The shussh of the door caught his attention and he looked out into the living room. "Radek?"

"In here, _miláčku_."

Geoff didn't bring the lights up much when he came into the bedroom. He looked slightly less tired and worn than he had lately, but there were still shadows in his eyes. "Missed you at dinner."

"There was more paperwork with Teyla. I swear I do not understand how Elizabeth does it. I would lose my mind. My ecstasy in returning her job to her when she returns, it will know no bounds."

Geoff kicked off his shoes and sank down, sitting on the bed next to him. One hand slipped gently over to touch his own, then ran softly up his chest to rest over his heart. "I missed you today."

"Though I like Teyla, I would have much preferred your company," Radek said. He covered Geoff's warm hand with his own.

Geoff took his hand and raised it to his lips, kissing the knuckles softly. "She'll never do this for you," he said with a quiet smile.

Radek chuckled. "No. I would not want her to. And there is the additional issue of how she would hit me with her sticks and turn me into bloody pulp on the floor."

Geoff leaned on one hand, his body balanced over Radek's, looking down into his eyes. " _Miluju tě_ ," he murmured. "I'm sorry I've been so hard to be around lately. It's just--"

"I know, Geoff, I know," Radek said. "I understand. We will get through this."

"I've been so worried about you," Geoff said, his voice soft. He lowered himself slowly, pressing his lips to Radek's. The kiss was gentle and exploratory. It felt wonderful. "Things have been so hard recently. I've... I've wondered if we would ever have the time or the energy to just... to spend some time making love again."

Radek's heart fluttered and he pulled Geoff down to him, slipping his arms around him. "I've missed that as well -- missed you." Geoff's weight on him felt wonderful, and they kissed again, more deeply this time but still just as slow and tender.

Geoff's hand caressed his face, fingers slipping into his hair, and when they parted for a moment to catch their breath, Geoff carefully pulled Radek's glasses from his face. He set them on one of the bedside tables and dipped in to kiss again. Radek was breathless as their tongues swirled together, warm and wet. This: he had missed this, missed the warmth of their touches, the solidity of Geoff's embrace. 

They'd not been this close since Peter died. The loss of him echoed between them, an almost palpable presence, and Radek missed him terribly. His breath hitched and his fingers tightened in Geoff's shirt. He clung to his lover, aching inside, but desperately needing the contact and the kissing.

"Please," he whispered against Geoff's lips, "I need to touch you."

Geoff's answer was a moan, and they tugged at each other's clothing, needing skin. Hands slipped beneath shirts, pulled at belts, opened trousers. The heat of their bodies left Radek panting; he wished he could turn his mind off and just feel for a time.

Slowly and with want, clothing was removed. Shirts and socks were tossed heedlessly from the bed. Trousers and shorts were kicked off, left lying on the floor nearby. Geoff's lips grazed Radek's exposed skin, the rough, rasping tickle of his beard and mustache leaving trails of need wherever they touched.

Radek sucked at Geoff's neck, licked the line of his arm from shoulder to elbow. He could taste Geoff's grief in his lover's sweat, bitter and salt. He wondered if he tasted like that as well. Eyes closed, he mouthed the soft, tender inside of Geoff's elbow and Geoff sighed, licking the back of his neck.

They curled around each other, nude bodies sliding together, legs between legs. Geoff kissed Radek's eyelids, soft and gentle. Geoff's fingers traced the curve of his ears. Radek's hands moved over Geoff's sides, following the curve of strong, thin ribs. His thumb found a nipple, traced it in a swirl and pulled a quiet gasp from Geoff's lungs.

Whispering soft words of love and reassurance to one another, they touched and explored. It felt like it had been months since they'd been together, since they'd done more than fall into exhausted, trembling sleep side by side. Radek moaned as Geoff's thigh slipped between his, caressing him, bringing him pleasure and the warmth of their intimacy.

Their arms tangled, fingers mapping blue veins and the outline of muscles. Lips followed long-forgotten curves of skin and bone. Radek nuzzled at Geoff's balls, dizzy with the scent of his lover's arousal, and it pulsed through him with his own heartbeat.

So long, and it was as though they had to rediscover one another, to draw new maps that no longer included a third. He felt the warmth of tears falling on his hip as they kissed each other's bodies. Words had become hard to utter now, harder to hear through the thundering of hearts and the sweet pull of air in his lungs. That eloquent silence was broken only by soft moans and the sound of lips sucking on skin.

Everything faded around him and Radek's world was only Geoff's body and his own, the firm support of the bed beneath them, and the dappling of moonlight on the arc of Geoff's chest. Wet trails left heat and a shivering need behind the progress of Geoff's tongue along his thigh, his lover's long, thin fingers teasing at Radek's entrance. A moment later, Geoff's tongue was there, and Radek's back arched as he gasped.

He was hard and aching and his hand closed around Geoff's throbbing shaft as Radek's tongue slipped over the bare, wet head of his lover's cock. Geoff hissed, his breath cooling the places in the cleft of Radek's ass where Geoff's tongue had been and the sensation was exquisite. With a moan, he took Geoff into his mouth, sucking, wanting to taste everything.

Geoff stroked him gently; his grip tight, tongue teasing, and Radek opened his legs wider, wanting more. There was the scratch and tickle of Geoff's beard and Radek groaned again, sending a shiver through his lover as he drew the long, hard cock into his mouth. It was salty and hot, more real right now than Radek's own breath. He needed this, needed to give this to Geoff -- needed to feel touch and absence and the ache in his heart as he wept for their lost beloved.

They moved again, and Geoff lay atop him, covering his back and sliding into him and Radek cried out, losing himself completely. His lover was gentle but intense, gasping out Radek's name, whispering it against the flesh of his shoulder as they moved together making love. He held onto the edge of the mattress, his fingers painfully tight, pushing back into Geoff's thrusts and groaning with every stroke.

He was full, open to Geoff's body and aching with the pleasure of it as Geoff took him, thrusting in deep. The words they spoke were fractured as their hearts, but each movement of their bodies brought them closer together. Geoff's breath was burning on his shoulder, Peter's name on both their lips, and he knew this was their own rite for him, their own farewell. 

Geoff came first, gasping, pounding into him and groaning Radek's name. Radek was desperate now, needing more and not sure if Geoff would be able to push him over the edge. He bucked back against Geoff, who was still hard inside him, and Geoff's hand slid under him. Geoff squeezed hard and stroked and Radek shuddered. " _Můj bože, chchi víc, můj bože_ ," he gasped, and Geoff thrust again, stroking Radek hard. With a shout, Radek came, his body trembling, sparks lighting inside his eyes.

" _Anoanoano_..." Radek's heart thundered as he collapsed under his lover, Geoff's weight on him, arms around him, their sweating bodies trembling together.

"I love you," Geoff whispered, his breathing still harsh and rough. "Love you."

With a moan, they moved, Radek rolling under Geoff until they lay face to face, tangled in each other's arms. Geoff was so close, his forehead touching Radek's, eyes locked on his. "I need you," Geoff said softly. He kissed the tip of Radek's nose. Radek smiled.

"I am yours," Radek told him. "With all my heart, I am yours."

*** 

"What kind of questions are these?" Radek asked, utterly confused. "'What is your current employment?' 'How many spouses have you, and of what genders?' 'Has anyone in your household had'... what is this word, some disease? 'How many household pets have you and what are their species?' 'How many people in your household have Ascended?'" He stared at his tablet display in disbelief.

Dr. Sakai grinned. "We have found their census bureau!" she chirped. "Such valuable information! Thousands of years of it, from thousands of worlds! Think of all the things we can learn about the daily life of the Ancients!" Radek suspected she might leap from her seat at any moment and perform some sort of inexplicable Japanese dance of glee.

Major Lorne groaned. "You mean all that crap with digging on Planet Mudhole and having to put up with Kavanagh and... and it was for nothing more than a bureaucratic data sink?" His forehead thumped on the table. "Jesus," he muttered, "of all the unfair--"

Radek blinked. "There is no information about technology? No hints of where to look for power sources or naquadah mines?"

"Given time, we can learn where naquadah was mined by examining employment statistics," Sakai said, her enthusiasm completely unshared by the temporary command staff. Rob Stackhouse, who had led the primary excavation team, looked like he wanted to strangle something. Radek could not blame him in the least.

Teyla sighed. "That sounds... lovely, Dr. Sakai. I'm sure that your people will be happy to spend time working on translations."

"Oh yes!" Sakai was practically bouncing in her seat. 

Radek looked at Teyla, who looked back at him with a helpless expression on her face. "Very well, Dr. Sakai," Radek said carefully. "I recommend that you take this information back to your people and... um... continue translations for a while." Until something more important came along, at least.

"Oh yes, right away, Dr. Zelenka." She beamed and snatched up her tablet, hurrying from the room.

"Guys," Lorne said, looking up at them again, "I think it's time to adjourn to that spa. I don't know about you, but I'm in desperate need of another fact finding mission."

Stackhouse nodded vigorously. "Yeah. Fact finding. That's the ticket." He looked over at Lorne. "Uh, Major, are we in clothing optional hours at the moment?"

"I think we can declare the whole damned thing off limits for about three hours," Lorne said.

Radek sighed. "Yes, yes. Fact finding. I wish to determine the exact length of time it will take for my toes to turn into prunes." He gestured to Teyla. "Shall we adjourn?"

Teyla gave him a weak smile. "Yes, I believe we should." She stood. "Sgt. Campbell, would you please see to it that the spa is secured, and then come and join us?"

Chuck grinned. "Absolutely, Ma'am. Absolutely."

~~pau~~

**Author's Note:**

> Czech in the story:
> 
> Děkuji -- thank you  
> Zatraceně -- shit  
> Zkurvysyn -- son of a bitch  
> Miluju tě -- I love you  
> Můj bože, -- oh god  
> Chchi víc -- more, please  
> Ano -- yes


End file.
